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Joel Hamner

Joel Hamner is a seasoned trial lawyer who fights relentlessly for injured clients across North Alabama communities.

Tom McCutcheon

Tom McCutcheon has over four decades of courtroom experience, earning a reputation for winning complex injury cases statewide.
Learn Why McCutcheon & Hamner Is The Best Law Firm In Alabama
Anne Bumgart
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Jo Mari Sweet
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LaShonda Carroll
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Jennifer Alston
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Elizabeth Gregory
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Daniel Craig
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Hannah Newell
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Doris Pilkinton
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Alabama's Top Personal Injury Lawyers

About McCutcheon & Hamner

Work with an Experienced & Successful Personal Injury Team in Florence​

The personal injury lawyers at McCutcheon & Hamner, Thomas W. McCutcheon, Jr. and Joel R. Hamner, are both lifelong Alabamians who have dedicated their careers to helping families across North Alabama. With deep local roots and decades of combined courtroom experience, they bring a unique understanding of the values, challenges, and needs of the communities they serve.

Over the years, Tom and Joel have earned a reputation for delivering results when it matters most. Their trial work has recovered life-changing verdicts and settlements for clients injured in car accidents, workplace accidents, and other serious cases where negligence caused harm. These victories are not just measured in dollars, but in the peace of mind, stability, and justice secured for their clients and their families.

Both attorneys have been honored by the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers and are members of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums. These exclusive memberships recognize attorneys who have won some of the most significant verdicts and settlements in the country. Such honors reflect not only the quality of results McCutcheon & Hamner has achieved, but also their dedication to preparation, client care, and the willingness to take cases to trial when justice demands it.

At McCutcheon & Hamner, every client is treated with honesty, compassion, and respect. Tom and Joel believe the practice of law is not just about cases, but about people—and they have built their firm on the principle that no client should ever feel alone in their fight for justice.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured, McCutcheon & Hamner is ready to help. Call today for a free consultation and put proven trial lawyers on your side.

Hundreds of Millions Recovered for Our Clients

Attorneys McCutcheon & Hamner are backed by a strong track record of success in winning fair and just settlements or trial verdicts for the over 50,000 cases they have represented over the combined decades of their practice. They bring strong personalized care to clients and their families facing the burdensome realities of unexpected and often deeply traumatizing personal injuries. Our team also applies a comprehensive knowledge of applicable personal injury, workers’ compensation, and Social Security Disability law when fighting for favorable results. Whether through aggressive negotiation or courtroom litigation, you can count on a full preparation of your case giving you the best chance of an optimum outcome.

Settlement

$3,500,000

Truck Accident

This case occurred in Texas.  Our client was on the job when the truck in which he was a passenger was hit head on by another driver.  Our client suffered devastating injuries including a traumatic brain injury. After undergoing numerous surgeries in Texas to stabilize his condition, he was med-flighted to The Sheperd’s Center in Atlanta, Georgia for treatment and rehabilitation of his traumatic brain injury.  I was contacted by the family after the client arrived in Atlanta and flew to Atlanta the next day to meet with the client’s parents.  Our client spent 6 months at Sheperd Center.  The traumatic brain injury has left our client unable to live unable to live by or care for himself.

After meeting with the family, we immediately filed suit.  Due to our client being on the job, there were two different cases that had to be filed.  First, was the case against the defendant driver who caused the wreck.  The second was the case against our client’s worker’s compensation insurance carrier as the wreck happened while the client was on the job.

The automobile accident case was resolved through mediation.  The worker’s compensation insurance company, however, would not agree that our client was permanently and totally disabled even though each of his treating physicians testified that our client no longer had the mental capacity to work, would never be able to live on his on much less operate a vehicle and that he would be a danger to others.  After an intense trial, the Court found that our client was permanently and totally disabled as defined by Alabama’s Worker’s Compensation Act.

The worker’s compensation carrier did not agree with the decision of the trial Court and filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Alabama.  After filing written briefs in support of our client, the Supreme Court of Alabama agreed that our client was permanently and totally disabled and upheld the trial court’s award of benefits.

Settlement

$600,000

Truck Accident

This case occurred in Colbert County, Alabama.  Our client lived in Mississippi and was traveling east on highway 72 when a tractor trailer driver without warning turned across the median and struck our client in the driver side door.  Our client was transported to the emergency room via ambulance and the truck driver told the investigating officer that our client had entered into the turn lane and struck his truck on the front right corner.

Within 24 hours of being hired by our client, we had our investigative team at the scene of the accident.  Our accident reconstructionist, through evidence gathered at the scene, was able to determine that the story of the truck driver was not true and that the truck driver had failed to yield the right of way striking our client in her proper lane of travel.

The tractor trailer driver and his company were located in Chicago, Illinois.  After filing suit, the deposition testimony of the defendant driver was taken in Chicago.  The owner of the truck and the company representative failed to appear for his deposition.  After several attempts were made to obtain the deposition of the company driver, we learned that the company owner had been extradited to another company via Interpol.

After this discovery, the case settled for policy limits.

Settlement

$600,000

Truck Accident

This case occurred in Lauderdale County, Alabama.  Our client was on his way to work when the driver of a log truck exited a quick mart in front of our driver failing to yield the right of way.  Our client suffered severe injuries including a broken hip, displaced fracture of the femur and a displaced fractured of the ankle.

After being hired, we immediately filed suit and sent our investigative team to the scene of the accident to gather all the evidence which established liability on behalf of the truck driver.  During depositions of the driver and a representative of the company, it was established that the truck driver had recently been terminated from another company for failing a drug test and should not have been driving a tractor trailer truck.  During the deposition of the company representative, we established that not only had the company failed to contact his prior employers where they would have learned that the driver had a history of drug abuse, they failed to require a pre-employment drug screen or post accident drug screen all in violation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

The case was settled through mediation.

Settlement

$800,000

Truck Accident

This case occurred in Colbert County, Alabama.  Our client suffered neck injuries and a severe concussion when a moving company truck failed to yield the right of way and turned in front of our client.  Although the moving company admitted liability, the insurance company argued that our client’s neck injury and resulting surgery was as the result of arthritis and that any issues from the concussion should have resolved quickly.

After filing suit, we undertook extensive discovery of the defendant driver’s work history and the safety policies of the company.  Through discovery, we established that the defendant company had failed to comply with most of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and that the driver should not have been allowed to be on the road.

The parties were ordered to mediation and the case was settled at that time.

Settlement

$1,100,000

Automobile Accident

This accident occurred in Madison County, Alabama.  Our client was returning home from church when another motorist failed to yield the right of way and turned in front of our client.  The defendant motorist told the police officers that our client was traveling at a high rate of speed and ran through a red light.  Our client suffered as a result of the crash, our client suffered a broken neck and spinal cord compression.  The client underwent emergency surgery and was rendered partially paralyzed as a result of his injuries.

The family contacted us while in the hospital. I drove to the hospital and met with our client’s wife the day after surgery.  We immediately filed suit.  Through discovery, we obtained dashcam video which clearly established that our client was not speeding, had the green light and that the defendant driver had turned left on a red light.

After the deposition of the defendant driver was completed and it was clearly established that she was not telling the truth, her insurance carrier tendered their policy limits of $1,000,000.  Our client had underinsured motorist coverage of $100,000 and his insurance carrier tendered their limits as well.

Settlement

$1,000,000

Truck Accident

This accident occurred in Lawrence County, Alabama.  Our client was returning home from work when a tractor trailer driver hauling logs lost control, overturned, and the logs broke loose from the trailed striking our clients truck.  Our client was killed on impact.

We were hired by the family of the deceased driver and immediately filed suit against the truck driver and the owner of the tractor trailer truck.  After completing initial discovery, the insurance carrier for the defendant tendered their insurance policy limits of $1,000,000.

Settlement

$1,050,000

Truck Accident

This accident occurred in Madison County, Alabama when a commercial plumbing truck lost control, crossed the median, and struck our client head-on on South Memorial Parkway.  Our client, who had a history of back pain, was required to undergo multiple back surgeries after the accident.  Initially, the insurance company denied liability arguing that our client’s back surgeries where as the result of pre-existing conditions and not the injuries he sustained in the accident.

After filing suit against the plumbing company and it’s driver, it was discovered that the driver had a history of accidents and traffic violations.  During the depositions of the clients treating physicians, I obtained testimony from the clients neurosurgeon that he was of the opinion that the injuries our clients sustained in the car wreck necessitated the surgeries.

After completing discovery and the doctors deposition, the defendant’s insurance company tendered their policy limits of $1,000,000.  In addition, our client had $50,000 of underinsured motorist coverage which was paid to our client as well. 

Verdict

$800,000

Automobile Accident

This case occurred in Lauderdale County, Alabama.  Our client was driving his work vehicle when a driver failed to yield the right of way at a red light and turned in front of our client.  Our client was a hard working man who operated a family farm and worked in the heating and air industry.  Several years prior to the wreck, our client had undergone back surgery to repair a disc injury.  After his surgery, he returned back to full duty without any problems or complications.

After the wreck, our client began to experience worsening back pain with pain radiating into his legs.  He was examined by a orthopedic spine specialist who recommended surgery.  Specifically, the surgeon recommended our client undergo an anterior lumbar interbody fusion.  Before trial, the insurance company never offered more than $50,000 to settle the case.

At trial, the insurance company argued that it wasn’t the car wreck that caused our client’s need for a fusion but degenerative disc disease and arthritis from his previous surgery.  At trial, each of our client’s treating physicians testified that it was their opinion that the only reason our client had to have surgery was due to the injury and damages he sustained to his back in the car wreck.  The jury saw through the insurance companies smoke screen, followed the evidence, and awarded our client $800,000.

Settlement

$3,500,000

Products Liability

This case occurred in Lauderdale County, Alabama. Our client was driving her 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt home after delivering cupcakes to her daughter’s school.  While driving the car, the ignition switch failed resulting in a complete loss of power. Our client’s car became uncontrollable and collided with an 18 wheeler.  Tragically, our client lost her life. 

At the time of the wreck, General Motors the manufacturer of the Chevrolet Cobalt, knew that the ignition switch was defective and allowed the key to unintentionally slip from the “run” to “off” position while the car was being driven.  The ignition switch defect would cause the sudden loss of engine power, braking and steering.  GM knew about the ignition switch problem as early as 2001 but rejected several design changes and solutions that were recommended by its own engineers because of the cost and time it would take to make the changes.

Upon being contacted by our client’s family and realizing that time was of the essence, we immediately filed suit and began investigating the crash.  Although the damage to our client’s car was severe, we were able to determine through the use of crash experts that the ignition switch had indeed failed causing the wreck.  In addition, due to having been able to begin our investigation so close to the time of the wreck, we found that another tractor trailer truck driving behind our client’s car had a dashcam which clearly showed the sudden loss of steering and loss of control of our client’s car. 

(5/5)

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